Combination reading stand and book carrier



Jan. 27, 1942. J. J. SAMPSON COMBINATION READING STAND AND BOOK CARRIER Filed Nov. 20, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Snncntor JamesJSamps n,

Gtt neg Jan. 27, 1942. J. J. SAMPSO N A 2,271,343

COMBINATION READING STAND AND BOOK CARRIER 7 Filed Nov. 20, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ULB Ja U

Jame/\SJ. Sampson, by

Patented Jan. 27, 1942 UNITED- 1 STATE s ATEN T OFFICE-4f.

COMBINATION READING STAND AND Y L BooK CARRIER v James 'J. Sampson, Waterloo, Iowa Application November 20, 1939, Serial No. 305,327 v 2Claiins. (01 -57) f v [My invention relates to improvements in combination reading stands and book carriers, and the'principal object of my improvements is to supply a portable collapsible device adaptable for receiving a book or books or an object or objects of similar shape and proportions, and which, when extended and adjustably positioned for use, may support thereon a bookor books or other objects as a reading stand or easel.

Another object of my improvements is to coma flexible and suitably patterned covering element connected thereto, to provide a cover or foldable casing therefor, and suitable asv a pliable mounting upon which the stand is supported when extended for use.

, I have accomplished the above objects by the means and mechanisms which are herein described and claimed, and which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it being understood that various modifications in the details of construction and arrangement of parts of the spread pliable mounting, and presenting the rear of the supporting means in an angularly adjusted and propped position, and on a smaller scale than used in said Fig. 1. Fig. 3' is a front elevation of the easel members of the device as erected and supporting thereon 'an alined pair of opened books, together with a third opened book clipped to the upper structures of the device above said pair of books. Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the apparatus extended as in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail of the lower parts of the easel member, including parts of the book carrying front ledge, with other parts broken away. Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail or under plan of one of the book carryingledge pairs with an opened book thereon. Fig. '7 is an end elevation, on a smaller scale, of a pair of books inclosed in the collapsed holder device and cover, and Fig. 8 is a view of a face of the partially collapsed flexible cover.

Referring first to said Fig. 1, thenumeral l binewith the mechanical elements of the device denotes a flexible cover for the apparatus, as

spread out flatly, whose bodyis oblong with one end 'I angular and supplied with a snap means at 8. Adjacent said end part are like flaps H and H11 projecting oppositely laterally from the main body of the cover and having snap connecting means terminally for coaction, as shown at 4on1 la. Other fastener elements are shown at 9 in the right hand end part of the cover.

The stand rigid members as connected are in like pairs of basal devices 5 and 5a of U-shape and respectively clamped to the cover I by soc eted receiving members 6, 6a, and other like members such as shown at 59 and also like members on, the cross parts of said devices. Open rectangular wir'e members, shown at 12 and lZa aremedially spaced apart, and their lower hori- "zontal reaches traverse bearings 61) and 6d respectivelymounted on said cover I, while said lower reaches are rockably mounted in eyes on the extremities of the U-shaped members 5 and" 5a, thus hinging the members I2 and [2a 1 thereto.

The members 5 and 5a,,bein g spaced apart 'from each other medially, I have supplied means for hinging their inner vertical reaches together to permit said members to be swung into spaced parallelism, when the device is to be collapsed together with the cover v Alined horizontal vertically spaced pairs of bars I5 and 15a, and

J9 and [9a are terminally secured across said members l2 and 12a and also medially secured ,to medial ,cross braces 29 and 29a between the upper reaches of, said members and the bars. .The inner and outer" extremities of the said bars "are shaped with sockets respectively at and are terminally medially'notched at Zll-ZI, and Z|a'2ll 1. ,The opposed ends of the sockets or bearings 2| and 2 la havepintles seated therein crossing thenotches, and a cross-bar 22 has its "opposite ends connected tothe pintles in the notches, to provide medial hinges. between the bars l9 and 19a. A

C-shaped rods l3 and l3a, relatively reversed in position, are respectively hinged at 20-25b and likewise at 200, and 25a to the outer vertical reaches of the members l2 and l2a, while the cross bars 25 and 25a respectively are fixedly mounted at their outer ends to the middle parts of the members l3 and [3a.

Both pairs of membersl3 and. l3a are pivoted to the upper reaches of the members l2-l2a by cupped devices 21 having forward spaced inturned flanges 26 in which are rockably mounted opposite parts of the members l3 and Ba associated with end parts of the members [2 and 12a respectively, and the devices 21 also have downwardly bent fingers 28 which close the gaps between said flanges above and across them. The hinge joints permit the outer frames to be moved through an angle of 90 degrees with respect to the inner frames so that they may either be aligned with the inner frames or be disposed normal thereto, and cannot be dislodged by any ordinary shocks. The upturned extremities of the lower members of the frames I3 and 13a are rockably seated in the end sockets l1 and Ila of said inner frames l and I5a respectively. The bars l5-|5a are thus linked to thebars l6 and 16a, and the latter are fixedly mounted on the outer frames l3 and I311.

The inner spaced vertical reaches of the frames l2 and [2a are at their tops seated in like socket 21 and receive also, pivotally, the downturned ends of the upper connection I4, and a spring clip U-shaped plate Mi -39 mounted fixedly on the reach of the member M, has an ad- .justable screw connection 3| between its parts, to serve as a holder for a book or other device as shown at 32, A link Ma. has upturned members seated in the sockets l8 and I801, of the lower bars [5 and a, and its reach is rockably mounted in a bearing member 61 secured upon said cover I.

Referring to said Fig. 2, the frames above described are shown as extended rockably upon the bearing members 55a, the numerals 24 and 24b denoting a like pair of rear props of C-shape hinged terminally to the upper bars Illa and I9, and whose middle reaches are arched inwardly at 2411 to span the foundation-outer side reaches of the props, adjustably, in varying the rearward inclination of the said easel members. In Fig. 4 is shown an end elevation of the base frame showing the outer end of an easel member erected angularly thereon and supported by the adjustably swingable prop 2% whose free outer angles may releasably engage the stop 6 or By to vary the inclination of the easels rearwardly. As shown in Fig. 6, flange members 36 and 36a, are fixed to extend forwardly from the lower reaches of the members I2 and 13 to serve as ledge supports or holders for a book 34, whether opened or collapsed. Fig. 5 is a front elevation of said ledge members. 7

In Fig. 3 is shown a pair of opened books 34 and 35 supported on the ledges 36-36a respectively, while the upper clip members 30a support a smaller book 33, or a pamphlet of few leaves.

Fig. 7 shows two volumes of books as seated clampingly between the frames I2 and I211. as swung inwardly toward each other in parallelism, spaced apart, and showing the flexible cover I partially inclosing the books and their collapsed members including the end frames l3 and l3a folded upon each other. The books rest edgewise upon the inner frame connections [4a. Fig. 8 shows the cover I as collapsed together about the frames, with one end flap extended.

It will be seen, that my invention is portable when collapsed, and it is also evident that instead of two sets of easel members including the end members l3 and [3a, a single easel with hinged side members, or without such side members, contain the operativeness of the coupled devices shown, in the receiving, and supporting of an easel with its rear adjusting prop, its skeleton base members, and the flexible cover which is conformable to the collapsed device for storage or transportation whether carrying an article within or not.

I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, a portable book-holder, comprising in combination, a flexible cover, rigid like basal members fastened upon said cover, like spaced pairs of skeleton easels spaced apart longitudinally and hingedly foldable upon said basal members with the latter spaced apart and also hingedly foldable together with said cover, the easels also including end-hinged extension members also fol'dable upon and connected to said cover pivotally, U-shaped props on the rear parts of the skeleton easels and end-engageable with parts of the basal members when the'props are extended adjustably, a plurality of linking rigid cross connections between the inner parts of the easels for permitting the respective members of the easels to be spaced apart when collapsed in parallelism for supporting articles fitted between them, and means for hingedly connecting an adjacent one of the cross connections to the cover.

2. The combination, in a foldable carrier, of longitudinally spaced horizontally disposed base members, longitudinally spaced easel members hingedly connected to the base members in transverse alinement therewith, transversely spaced linking devices positioned between and end-pivoted to the opposed side parts of the easel members, like end members hingedly linked to the outer end parts of said easel members the hinges connecting the end members to the easel members having stop devices thereon permitting rotation of the end members between fixed positions forwardly and inwardly toward the easel members, sectional longitudinally alined shelf parts fixed to project forwardly on the lower parts of the easel members and said end members, each of the base members having transversely spaced stops mounted therealong, and loop-shaped rearwardly directed props hingedly supported longitudinally on the easel members adapted to swingably engage adjustingly said spaced stops releasably to support said easel members tiltably.

. JAMES J. SAMPSON. 

